Plyometric Exercises for Runners

Picture yourself on the starting line of a race. You're in the blocks. You pull back to create eccentric motion in the lower leg before firing forward to victory. Now imagine yourself being able to shoot off even further. Want to know how? With plyometric training, which is beneficial for all track & field athletes, regardless of event.

Those instinctive motions you go through before a race directly reflect plyometric training. Plyometric exercises develop a muscle's stretch-shortening cycleâwhen the muscle actively relaxes before a more forceful contraction. During the active relaxation phase, energy is stored and then shot offâlike snapping a rubber bandâto forcefully contract the muscle and tendon group.

Picture yourself on the starting line of a race. You're in the blocks. You pull back to create eccentric motion in the lower leg before firing forward to victory. Now imagine yourself being able to shoot off even further. Want to know how? With plyometric training, which is beneficial for all track & field athletes, regardless of event.

Those instinctive motions you go through before a race directly reflect plyometric training. Plyometric exercises develop a muscle's stretch-shortening cycle—when the muscle actively relaxes before a more forceful contraction. During the active relaxation phase, energy is stored and then shot off—like snapping a rubber band—to forcefully contract the muscle and tendon group.

The following workout will improve your overall race times.

Before you begin, review these guidelines:

Each exercise should be done at full speed.

Give yourself plenty of rest to recover between reps.

This workout should take 45 minutes, including the warm-up.

To effectively train plyometrically, limit the amount of time you are on the ground. Try to land and re-jump as quickly as possible.

Think explosive. These exercises are high impact, so they should not be done for endurance training.

Limit your ground strikes to no more than 200 in the beginning. Eventually, you can work your way up to 500 touches in a workout.

The heavier you are, the harder it will be to recover. If you weigh 200 pounds or more, give yourself at least 3 days to recover before your next plyometric training session.

Joe Lopez
- Joe Lopez is the New Jersey State Director of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He was previously a member of the New Jersey State advisory board committee. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Inception Sports Performance in Madison, New Jersey, where he works
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